The Power of a Simple Gift
The title mentioned above has been repeatedly and consistently enforced into my young brain (by schools, my parents, elders, and much more) which I had thrown away over and over again because of it’s cheesiness and my own ignorance.
Introduction
Every year Christmas comes, I would write my letter to Santa, wait impatiently for the day, and expect a perfect present to arrive under the decorated tree. I had always thought that the happiest feeling I could ever experience was receiving my dream item of the year. But I never imagined that finding gifts, packing it, and knowing it would go to multiple people who needed it more than myself, was the best joy of all.
This realization hit me like a hard rock. Not that I didn’t believe in it when older people told me, but rather that I had finally experienced it for myself and truly understood the feeling. Just plainly packing the gifts gave me the same, if not even more, joy that I would feel receiving an abundant amount of presents. I would put myself into their shoes while opening an unexpected gift, the excitement, the happiness, the gratitude, that’s what I want to make others feel. If you’re like me, who does not usually feel giving and kind, trust me it’s worth doing. If someone would have told me a week ago that I would be writing this weird passionate rant about donating presents for Christmas I would call them an idiot. But here I am, so if I could even feel this happiness, you can too.
My Reflections
Recently, I have donated three shoeboxes filled with small presents. The one to the right is for a girl (age 5–9), the one in the middle is for another girl (age 2–4), and the one to the left is for a boy (age 5–9). In each box I have written a note wishing them a happy Christmas. Packing each individual shoebox made me realize how privileged I am. I had so many old, unused, unopened items, that were left tucked away in my basement forgotten. The reason for this? I had more than I needed and wanted while others were struggling to even get what they needed. I had been taking advantage of these items, essentially wasting them for no reason. Every child deserves to have their comfort toys, their books, their cute dresses, which is exactly what I had tossed away for years.
I donated these items via Samaritanspurse, which gave me instructions on how to pack the best presents for their system. It was really easy and accessible due to their many mailing sites. (I highly recommend doing this by clicking this link). Samaritanspurse is only one example of the power of a simple gift. It doesn’t even have to be a physical gift, it can be a gift of gratitude and acknowledgment, a gift of knowledge, a gift of companionship. Anything that you feel is the best way to give back to your community, the society, or even places across the world.
Picture of samaritanspurse
Just looking at these pictures demonstrate why it’s so important to give back. When others are happy, you too will become happy for them. And as we work towards normalizing the act of giving as a task that people do voluntarily, not by pressure, we can redefine the society’s morals together. This is the power of a simple gift.
Thanks for Reading!
I hope you enjoyed this short but significant message. What do you feel about your own contributions to the community? What would you like to do about this in the future? Is giving back really that important? Comments are welcome down below! Until next time…
